What's next for Batman...

Maybe they're rally interested in doing a JLA movie, they could spin off whomever play Batman in that movie into a new series of Batman movies. That'd be something of the reverse of how Marvel Studios built up to the Avengers movie.

I'd like to see a Batman franchise that takes itself seriously enough in tone but has a place for heroics. A costume that isn't completely body armor, villains like Clayface, the Lazerous pit, killer Croc, basically the tone of the 90s animated series or something that's truer to the tone of the comics.

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Agreed. Tone-wise, I'm thinking they should aim for something akin to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies: The characters are taken seriously but the sci-fi concepts are broad.

Although, prior to his involvement with Man of Steel, there were rumors that Zack Snyder was going to direct a very faithful adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns. And, much as I thought he totally missed the point of Watchmen, I think he has the perfect sensibility to adapt Frank Miller's work.

I agree origin stories are overrated. The Amazing Spider-Man spent a lot of time rehashing the origin story without really adding anything new to it that we didn't already get in the 2002 movie. And if the studios need a financial incentive, I would just like to point out that both Batman (1989) and The Dark Knight made more money than Batman Begins. And The Avengers made more money than pretty much anything and didn't feature anyone's origin stories.

Something similar in tone to the Nolan universe would be a good way to continue so we don't spin towards the overly comic bookish type of Superhero film that I can see on any other given month of the year.

Then again I am rather fond of Batman Beyond and if they were to really shake things up I wouldn't mind seeing this done or something inbetween this and 'The Dark Knight Returns'.

While TDKR did leave it open for sequels to be made, going several different routes (I won't say, for fear of spoiling it for those who haven't seen it but you who have seen it will know what I mean), I'm pretty sure that the next movie won't follow on from it.

I imagine that they'll go down the Sony/ Spider-man route and reboot fairly swiftly, but I don't think that it will be another origin story like The Amazing Spider-man. I think that they'll take the James Bond route - have our hero as an established hero and assume that the audience knows how he got to be here. A sort of alternative sequel to Batman Begins, Superman Returns without the gap years or The Incredible Hulk.

Given how successful the Nolan movies were, I don't expect this to go down the Shumacher-route and mark a total contrast with the previous trilogy or even to be as different from it as TAS is from the Raimi movies. If I were a Warner exec, I'd want something in the same vein as Nolan's movies, but I'd obviously allow the new director and writer to move their own vision along. It's possible that it will be set up in a way as to meld with Snyder's Man of Steel but I don't get the impression that a common DC-verse is a big prioity for them.

But, as William Goldman said and as I like to quote - in Hollywood, no-one knows anything (least of all me). So expect the unanticipated.

I think the one problem with rebooting with out changing the toothed is you'll then have people wondering why you even bothered rebooting in the first place. If they are going to start all over again they should just go with something new.

It should be pointed out that Batman Begins is in fact the only time that Batman's origin was ever really depicted in the movies. The Burton/Schumacher series alluded to his family's murder but did not dwell to heavily on how he became Batman.

Although animated Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm in 1993 addressed the death of Bruce's parents and how he became Batman long before the Nolan's Batman Begins. And Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm was released theatrically albeit briefly.

MotP addressed those subjects fairly briefly - though BBegins paid homage to the Bruce's first night out in a mask in MotP in the scene where he first allies with Jim Gordon. But MotP was nowhere near the character study that Batman Begins was. The death of Bruce's parents was largely noted only to add melodrama to the romance storyline.

It could be interesting if WB weren't hung up on being tied to the Justice League feature.

- A Batman more like B-TAS or more like the Dennis O'Neil Batman of the '70's comics.
- or a period piece Batman. The 1940s would be cool, but how about a Batman set in the 1920s or even 1890s? A Gotham By Gaslight approach. A time when Bruce Wayne's studies and acquired knowledge from around the world in tandem with his exceptional detective skills as well as him utilizing the earliest forms of forensics would seem very forward thinking and remarkable to everyone else around him. A time when a dark figure of the night dressed as a bat could really play with people's imagination.

It should be pointed out that Batman Begins is in fact the only time that Batman's origin was ever really depicted in the movies. The Burton/Schumacher series alluded to his family's murder but did not dwell to heavily on how he became Batman.

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I hope the next Franchise does the same thing. They can allude to his origins but we really don't need to see that rehashed again.

Maybe they're rally interested in doing a JLA movie, they could spin off whomever play Batman in that movie into a new series of Batman movies. That'd be something of the reverse of how Marvel Studios built up to the Avengers movie.

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And that's I think what they're likely to do. But I'm just not sure if that's the best way to go. I personally felt that The Avengers would've fallen completely apart if it hadn't been for most of these characters' introductions in their own films. With some of the JLA characters being much more unknown to a general audience (any myself, frankly), how can you do them justice AND Batman AND Superman?

Besides, how much Batman could there even be in such an ensemble piece?

But the studio seems hellbent on replicating the Avengers success with their own brand, so this is what we'll get. I myself would like to see another fanciful Batman - not a campy one, mind you, but one that is both dark and comic-book big, allowing also for the somewhat supernatural elements. Sorta like Tim Burton's approach, but without the Burton craziness shtick. A gothic Gotham (gargoyles, I need gargoyles!), a noir-ish quality, Batman as detective, mystery and a great villain, etc. So many of the comic books have done that so perfectly: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, for example. There's gotta be a way to do that today, even now that the "near-real world Batman" by Nolan is all the rage.

Maybe they're rally interested in doing a JLA movie, they could spin off whomever play Batman in that movie into a new series of Batman movies. That'd be something of the reverse of how Marvel Studios built up to the Avengers movie.

Click to expand...

And that's I think what they're likely to do. But I'm just not sure if that's the best way to go. I personally felt that The Avengers would've fallen completely apart if it hadn't been for most of these characters' introductions in their own films. With some of the JLA characters being much more unknown to a general audience (any myself, frankly), how can you do them justice AND Batman AND Superman?

Besides, how much Batman could there even be in such an ensemble piece?

But the studio seems hellbent on replicating the Avengers success with their own brand, so this is what we'll get. I myself would like to see another fanciful Batman - not a campy one, mind you, but one that is both dark and comic-book big, allowing also for the somewhat supernatural elements. Sorta like Tim Burton's approach, but without the Burton craziness shtick. A gothic Gotham (gargoyles, I need gargoyles!), a noir-ish quality, Batman as detective, mystery and a great villain, etc. So many of the comic books have done that so perfectly: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, for example. There's gotta be a way to do that today, even now that the "near-real world Batman" by Nolan is all the rage.

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The think about the JLA characters unlike most of the Avengers is that actually the audiences DO know who most of them are (or at least have a passing familiarity and think they know them).

Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman really don't NEED another introduction (though Superman is getting one and we just finished a fairly comprehensive interpretation of Batman's origins). The Flash and Aquaman are also on fairly solid ground in terms of recognition depite little deep understanding (Aquaman might need a movie just to address the popular ridicule...but a JLA movie could fix that first). Green Lantern (I was actually surprised at how few people know the character) is also getting a soft relaunch film. Martian Manhunter, who is in almost every version of the League, is usually introduced in a league related story anyway since he rarely has his own stories. An that's the core JLA 7.

Thus of the 7, only The Flash and Aquaman could probably use an intro...however I could also see WB deciding to wait and see how audiences react to them in a JLA movie before green lighting solo films.

They may also go the JL(U) route and add another woman...or gasp...a person of color (Hal...might not make it to the league if they do that). In which case we might get either Black Canary, Hawkgirl or Vixen (there we go, two birds with one stone ).